CVE-2023-53116 nvmet: avoid potential UAF in nvmet_req_complete()

What is CVE-2023-53116?

CVE-2023-53116 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 2 May 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

nvmet: avoid potential UAF in nvmet_req_complete()

An nvme target ->queue_response() operation implementation may free the request passed as argument. Such implementation potentially could result in a use after free of the request pointer when percpu_ref_put() is called in nvmet_req_complete().

Avoid such problem by using a local variable to save the sq pointer before calling __nvmet_req_complete(), thus avoiding dereferencing the req pointer after that function call.

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53116?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2023-53116?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.

Is CVE-2023-53116 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-53116 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as BELL-CVE-2023-53116, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-53116, GHSA-5j92-w6xv-qp2m, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-53116.